Supporting Charities and our Community

We like to support charities and our local community as much as possible and do this every year by hosting events, sponsoring sports teams and encouraging school gardening with our Schools in Bloom competition. Here's just some of what we have planned for 2017;

Supporting Local Youth Football

We are the proud Sponsors of South Woodham United Tigers and we support youth football by providing Meadow Bank Park and football pitch for the youth teams, which is based at Meadow Croft.

Schools in Bloom Competition

The Meadow Croft Schools in Bloom competition began as a way to support schools in outdoor provisions as well as encouraging children to garden at school and at home. It also offers schools the chance to use free plants to brighten up any areas they felt like planting, and to help form the basis for school gardening.

Every year, Meadow Croft invites local schools within a 5 mile radius, to enter the Schools in Bloom Competition.Plants are delivered to the participating schools in early April.Schools then have until the beginning of July to grow the plants and display them in whatever containers, styles or plots they choose, ready to be judged by the Schools in Bloom panel. The winner receives a £100 Meadow Croft voucher to spend on gardening provisions or plants for their school.

The competition, which is in its 8th year, has seen some amazing efforts from the children.

2018 Competition

Every year schools within a 5 mile radius of Meadow Croft are invited to take part in the competition.Seedlings are delivered in April and the schools grow the plants to produce their gardens ready for judging in July.

The schools this year were asked to come up with themed gardens and they did not disappoint! The judges said ‘It has been a pleasure to see all the gardens.The children have clearly worked very hard and their efforts could give Chelsea Flower Show a run for their money!’

First place went to Collingwood School for their 'Collingwood Bay' themed garden, complete with beach, boat and sail shelter. Well done to all the children and their adult helpers for creating literally something out of nothing!

Second place went to Hilltop Infants for their 'Caring and Sharing Garden'. All the children took a plug plant home to look after until they were ready to plant into their container garden and the containers were all distributed to the neighbouring houses to the school.

Third place went to Little Darwin's Nursery. The children had created a bath-themed garden and it was very well cared for.

This year, the Meadow Croft Young Gardener of the Year Award for outstanding contributions to school gardening went to Imogen S from Rayleigh Primary School.

If you are a school staff member or volunteer and would like to enter your school into this year’s competition to be in with a chance of winning a £100 Meadow Croft voucher for your school, please contact Victoria Griffiths for more information on 01245 320220.

Charity Donations

Every year for our festivals or events, we try and incorporate a charity to donate to.In 2017 we donated 10% of all Lavender and Lavender food sales during our Lavender Festival to the Lavender Trust, a charity that helps female cancer patients. This year we managed to raise over £830 for the trust.

For the 2016 German Market, we also created a wishing well for Little Haven’s Hospice, and all proceeds from the well went to the charity, and hopefully granted some wishes too.We also take part in the National Christmas Jumper Day and Meadow Croft donates £5 to Save the Children for each staff member that wears a Christmas jumper to work.

ABOUT US

We take
great care with the quality and range of plants offered at Meadow Croft, many
of which are grown in our own glasshouses on-site.

We aim to cater for the needs of all gardeners; experienced
gardeners will find an enormous range of plants of all sizes to suit every
garden situation, and a lot more besides.And for novice gardeners, our
trained horticultural staff are available to give advice and guidance.